This is a touchy subject. As soon as you bring up culture people get defensive about what belongs to them and what other people should not be allowed to wear, participate in, or say. Culture is becoming a possessive statement rather than an expressive one. It's all about what you can do and what others aren't allowed to do. And whether you like to face it or not, the only individuals I've seen targeted for cultural appropriation are white (though I'm sure non-white individuals have been accused somewhere).
And I'm not saying white individuals are not guilty of being offensive in this way. The Kardashians have done plenty of offensive things and their pretty unapologetic about it. The film industry also has a nasty habit of casting white individuals as ethnic characters. We're far from perfect in our treatment of individuals versus the treatment of their cultures. Amandla Stenberg put it well when she proposed the question, "What would America be like if it loved black people as much as it loves black culture?" This can be extended to other groups as well and it is an excellent starting point for self-reflection.
So let me preface this. There is no such thing as reverse racism. Racism refers to the systematic oppression of an entire race based on the fact that they are that race. It's something I've never experienced and most likely won't experience. White people have never been oppressed for being white. White women have been oppressed for being women. White homosexuals have been oppressed for being homosexual. But never because of white skin or race.
And it's important that we are aware of that privilege. Take for example the gender wage gap. We are told that women make approximately 78 cents to the male dollar. But that's the statistic for white women. Black American women make about 64 cents to the white male dollar, and Hispanic women make about 53 cents to the white male dollar. Even as a white woman, I am privileged in my oppression.
But this does not mean that white individuals are not stereotyped. White skin is not a protective factor from stereotyping or prejudice. We've all heard how white people can't dance and how much white girls love their Starbucks. People joke quite a bit about the way white guys flirt (which can be pretty funny, but that's a conversation for another time). The point is these are all stereotypes. They are seemingly harmless, but they do exist.
In fact, any time you call out a specific group of people and attach them to a blanket statement, you are stereotyping, whether you find it harmless or not. And when white individuals point out these issues, they are labeled as whiny. Which at face value may be true. Me complaining about the stereotype that white girls love Starbucks too much is pretty dang whiny. But there's a bigger issue at hand. It's the fact that we allow these statements and others like them targeting all kinds of people to be repeated. By continuing stereotyping, we polarize ourselves.
The issue is the way things are handled. We like to attack each other rather than educating. And this causes more problems than it solves.
But going back to cultural appropriation, here's a question I have. If white people are guilty of appropriating the culture of others, what is their own culture*? And can it be appropriated?
Because if a white individual can be guilty of appropriating other cultures, there must be a culture that they are safe to express, their own. But many people would argue that white people don't have a culture. Or that their culture is oppressing other cultures. Some would even say that white culture is borrowing from other cultures; that nothing solely represents white culture. It all came from someone else. But if white people don't have a culture, it would mean that all actions taken by a white individual would fall under the category of cultural appropriation in some form.
So if this is the case and white people don't have a culture, they must be in some form of limbo between cultures. A place that is safe for them to be without offending anyone else, but a place that can't be appropriated because it is an acceptable place for all people. And sadly, I think this may be the best way to describe modern white culture.
But even then, acknowledging white culture is seen as racist in and of itself. In fact, acknowledging whiteness in any form other than the humble recognition of privilege or mere statement of fact has been labeled as offensive. You are not allowed to be proud of your heritage if you are in the majority.
If you look at America and where it came from, I would say that white culture stems from religious freedom. You can see this in Martin Luther and the Reformation and in the immigration of European to America. You could also say that white culture largely participated in industrialization and technological advancement as much of this started in the colonies. White culture involves many styles of music, literature, dancing, and art. Yet these cultural aspects have never been designated solely for the white community.
But this is a legitimate question that I have and I am interested in seeing the perspectives of individuals from any background. What is white culture? Or does it even exist at all?
*Note: When I refer to white culture in this piece, I am referring to a possible culture shared by white individuals regardless of geography, religion, or socioeconomic status.
